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After spending four glorious days in the Windy City for C2E2, Nicole and I are back in Philadelphia. And while we're happy to be back… Chicago, you sure were good to us. We miss you. Keep in touch, okay? 

During C2E2 we gave out a ton of Planet Quirk totebags, met new and old fans, and introduced convention goers to Ben H. Winters and E.B. Hudspeth. Both Ben and E.B. spoke on panels, and signed advance copies of their upcoming books, Countdown City and The Resurrectionist.  

We also saw a ton of great cosplayers, met some awesome bloggers and press folk, and got to know the kind people at Valiant (they had a sax player!) and Topshelf Comics. They made excellent neighbors. 

We managed to capture a number of cosplayers on camera, as well as Ben and E.B.'s signings. Check them out in the video above, or in the photos below. See you again soon, Chicago! 

Love books? Love cartoons? Tired of questions?  Try out Quirk's new biweekly web comic.

There’s nothing funnier than a good dramatic reading. It’s an art (I’m using the term loosely) that all literary-minded people can appreciate. Sometimes a book (or a song or a poem) is written so horribly that it needs to be analyzed, with special attention given to every sentence, every word, every thought. While the writing may not be all that spectacular, the performers are certainly talented. I don’t know how any of the following can get through a dramatic reading without bursting into laughter. Props to them.

Here’s a compilation of the best dramatic readings the Internet has to offer.

(Image via)

Media–whether in the form of books, movies, tv, plays, lithographs, or what have you–has been creating unrealistic expectations of human awesomeness for centuries. You don’t think that people were slavering over Romeo in Shakespeare’s time*? And for good reason: made-up guys are just better on paper (talk about storybook romance!) So, forget real-life dudes. Imagine happy days with the following fictional fellows!

I have learned that there are cake people, and there are frosting people.

Throughout the first two seasons of Downton Abbey, we often saw the family and staff of Downton crafting. While Cora and Lavinia were seen creating elegant pieces in the sitting room, embroidery hoops and knitting needles were present in the staff quarters as well.

Though Cora’s dedication to embroidery may have dwindled in the third season, ours has not, with plenty of Downton inspired pieces popping up online. From knit-a-longs that post clues with each new episode, to an intricate “Grantham Arms” bookmark, here are some Downton Abbey inspired crafts to help tide you over between episodes.

Clockwise from right:

1. Dowager Cross Stitch Pattern from Book Pilgrim

2. Christmas at Downton yarn

3. Downton Embroidery Patterns of the Crawley sisters and Matthew Crawley

4. Reenact Mary and Matthew’s wedding with this Downton Clothespin Doll Kit from Regency Austentation –

5. Grantham Arms Cross Stitch bookmark

6. Downton Alphabet Cross Stitch Sampler